Sharing your stories

Stories can inspire change. We asked some of our customers to share their motivations for getting tested and how it has affected their lives. We hope that hearing real stories will inspire you to take action too.

Healthy Longevity

“I would advise young people in their 20s and 30s with family history of disease to take this test, while they have plenty of time to make lifestyle changes.”

Debbie’s family was a poster for healthy longevity. Many of her relatives lived into their 100s. Debbie has always been proactive about her health and always keen to take any tests that would help guide her health journey. Retired and in her 70s, she was living a very healthy, active retirement. She had no specific health concerns. She had recently had a hip replacement, so was somewhat restricted in her exercise.

Debbie’s results showed some risk of pre-diabetes, which was a real surprise. (She already followed a low sugar diet and didn’t even keep sugar in the house.) She is now following all the nutrition and supplement recommendations from the Action Plan, taking Omega 3, Vitamin B12 and Magnesium. She has made a switch to nuts as her default snacking option. Her action plan also recommended that she engage in more aerobic exercise, so she is now going to the gym and using the elliptical trainer, along with her keep-fit classes.

“I would advise my kids to take the test. They are in their 30s and could maybe take a different path if they knew their risks now.”

Debbie is now keen for her family and other young people to get assessments. She feels that anyone with family history of heart disease, diabetes or other issues could benefit from knowing their risks ahead of time while they can make significant changes to their lifestyles to mitigate the risks of developing problems as they move through their lives.

– Debbie

Early Detection

“I was lucky to get an early warning. My annual assessment had not flagged anything.”

As a healthy 50 year old executive, Eric just wanted peace of mind. His annual executive health assessment had not flagged any issues, but with a family history of heart disease, he just wanted to be sure. His results came as a shock – significant signs of pre-diabetes, insulin resistance and cardiovascular issues.

Talking with his physician, Eric realized that his risks had been detected around 5 years earlier than they might have been with his usual health check-ups. He had been lucky. The results were a big warning flag but also very motivating. Now that he has the data, he is determined to make diet and lifestyle changes to reverse the trend and avert chronic disease.

Eric is now following his action plan, with diet and exercise recommendations and looking forward to re-testing to see the impact.

“I found my results hugely motivating. Now I know my risks for heart disease and diabetes, I can make lifestyle changes to prevent long term issues.”

– Eric

Family history of Alzheimer’s

“My grandma had Alzheimer’s – so that was a worry.”

Seeing her grandmother suffer with Alzheimer’s, made Kira wonder if she had any inherited risk for Alzheimer’s. She also had concerns about weight fluctuations and psoriasis (an autoimmune skin condition). She decided to take the full set of tests, hoping that she could make changes while still young, to improve her health for the longer term.

“I wanted to get tested while I’m still young and real change is possible.”

Seeing the results, brought enormous relief. She did not have a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s and did not have any major health risks to worry about. With that confirmation came real peace of mind. After a thorough consultation with a physician, she was able to understand how to manage her psoriasis through dietary supplements, specific to her personal test results. Her results highlighted a few other areas to pay attention to – some gut and metabolic issues – that could also be managed by changing her diet, exercise and supplements.

Having an action plan completely tailored to her personal health assessment was key for Kira. Knowing precisely which supplements to take and dietary modifications to make, and why, made it easier to follow the action plan and stick to it. A month later, after following the action plan, her skin has visibly improved. She hopes to take another test to see the difference in a year’s time.

“For me, knowing there are dynamic markers that I can do something about on a day to day basis is huge. Genetics is static. I can’t change that.”

– Kira

Trending towards Diabetes

“Molecular You gives you insights into your health risks – before the fact.”

As a retired physician, Richard already had a pretty good insight into his personal health. Heart disease was common in his family and he knew his personal risk factors. He was already taking preventive measures, making changes to his diet and exercise and taking statins to address these risks.

Richard had always been interested in preventive health and personalized medicine. His mother had suffered with Alzheimer’s and he knew that he had a genetic risk. As a doctor, he knew that some medications do not work for everyone, so he was particularly interested in learning his genetic response to medications.

“Medicine is not ‘one-size-fits-all’. Not all medications work for all people. Molecular You tests tell you which medications will work for you.”

Richard’s results confirmed the health risks he already knew about and assured him that he was taking the right corrective measures. However, his results also uncovered a new, unexpected risk. He was surprised to find out that he was at high risk of Pre-Diabetes. He also had some inflammation risk factors. Although he was already eating very healthily, he is also now following his action plan, watching his carbohydrate intake carefully and following his exercise plan.

– Richard

Starting a Family

“If I can change my diet or exercise to increase my chances, I want to know.”

After 5 long years of trying to start a family, Crystal was seeking answers. She had been through the pain and loss of 2 ectopic pregnancies and several miscarriages. She had been poked and prodded and had all the usual tests, but there were no obvious clues.

She started digging into her family history to try to understand what was going on. Her grandparents had experienced heart problems, cancer, and dementia so she was also curious to know if she had any inherited risks.

Crystal knew that she was essentially healthy, but wondered if there were any hidden reasons for her struggle. She opted for full molecular profiling to see if there were any metabolic issues, nutritional imbalances or protein issues that she could change through diet and exercise.

“I just want to know if there’s something I can do to be healthier.”

– Crystal

Family History of Breast Cancer

“I just want to know if I’m at risk and what I can do about it”

With a history of breast cancer in the family and the recent diagnosis of a loved one, Chantelle felt a real urgency to get tested. As a mother of 2 young children, she wanted to know her personal risk for breast cancer and get a clear picture of her current state of health. She felt the need to know now, while she could do something about it.

When her father got tested and shared what he had learned about managing his type 2 diabetes, Chantelle decided it was time to act. She wanted to be more proactive about her health and understand how to mitigate any risks. Knowing she would get a personalized action plan rather than just test results, was a big plus.

“If there is something I can change today, then I want to know.”

She and her husband both decided to take the full set of tests. With a young family, they both felt the need to take control of their health, stay healthy and be around for their kids.

“Now that I have my own family, I really want to be around for my grand kids.”

– Chantelle

Drug intolerances

When Aasha experienced a bad reaction to a drug she’d been prescribed for Polycystic issues, she rushed to her specialist. To her dismay, she was told by 3 doctors – after consulting Pharmaceutical drug guide book – that this wasn’t an expected side-effect and she should continue to take the medication for 6 months. After years of feeling that she was not being taken seriously, and her body having further problems, she got diagnostic imaging that showed clear signs of liver damage.

Desperately seeking answers and data she opted for Exome genetic testing and worked with genetic researchers in Canada, the US and China. She got raw data showing inherited issues related to her medical situation, but still lacked a clear picture of how it was affecting her body today and what she could do about it.

Through the Personalized Medicine Summit, Aasha found Molecular You and got the full range of metabolite, protein, environmental, dietary and exposure tests. Her results finally gave her the full picture and validated her symptoms. She got clear insights into medical issues and some clues about her sensitivity to drugs. It also flagged an area that doctors had not thought to investigate.

“I finally feel validated about my symptoms. I now have a full set of results that I can discuss with my doctors.”

Now Aasha can finally move on and address her health issues that she has never been able to tolerate medication for. With 3 generations of illness and sensitivity to drugs in her family, she is hoping that she can help others in her family too. After 23 long years of searching for answers, she is hoping to finally move on and find suitable therapies in this new era of personalized medicine.

“Now, I am hoping I can help my family too. Our needless suffering would have long ended if this test had been around 20 years ago”

– Aasha

Type 2 Diabetes

“I want to stay active into my 90’s and ski with my grand-children.”

Matt had always been athletic and involved in competitive sports. However, in recent years his business travel schedule had severely limited the time he had available for fitness. Short burst workouts in hotel gyms combined with long business dinners had meant his weight had gradually crept up by 30 pounds. In the past few years he had experienced a few health issues and now, in his late 50’s, it seemed like a good time for a health check.

“I wish this testing had been available in my 40’s. I could have changed my nutrition and lifestyle a long time ago.”

First Test: a reality check

At the time of Matt’s first test, he had started running again and was training for a half marathon. He had joined weight watchers and already lost 20lb. He was feeling pretty positive. Getting the results of his health assessment was quite a reality check. He had cardiovascular risk factors, was trending towards prostate cancer and had signs of insulin resistance. It was time to take action. A visit to the urology consultant showed no cancer but a need to monitor regularly. He decided to join CrossFit and embark on a 7-week Paleo (high protein) diet designed for the over 50’s.

2nd and 3rd Test: Type 2 diabetes

Over the next eight months, Matt’s diet was going well, he ran a marathon, shed the 30lbs and was in his best shape he had been for years. When he retested, he was expecting positive changes, but his next two tests revealed increasingly high markers for type 2 diabetes and higher insulin resistance. He was understandably frustrated and puzzled as to why his diet had not had the intended effect. He had decreased his red meat intake and eaten a lot more fish.

What Matt had not realized was that pork is in fact considered red meat, so he still had a relatively high red meat intake. He reduced his red meat intake to once a week, started folic acid supplements and switched to a primarily fish and vegetables diet. He also started to workout most days. The effects were quick to kick in.

“This has been a real epiphany for me. I had no idea that my ‘healthy paleo diet’ was having the opposite effect.”

Fourth Test: In the clear

By the fourth test, Matt could see a vast improvement in his health. He had completely reversed his type 2 diabetes trend and was now in the clear. He now feels invigorated and motivated to sustain the lifestyle changes.

“I want to feel healthy as I age – and sustain my active lifestyle. This has given me a personal prescription for health – and proof that it works.“

– Matt

All stories are based on real individuals. Some names and images have been changed to protect the identities of those individuals.